Sacrifice
by Drake Clawfang
Summary: Cleris oneshot, dark. What would you sacrifice, for the one you loved? What would you give up for them? If you had the chance, would you give up everything, just for them? Would you make the ultimate sacrifice, so that they don't have to?


Sacrifice

Twenty-three years. Eight thousand, three hundred ninety five days. Two hundred and one thousand, four hundred and eighty hours. Over twelve million minutes. Billions of seconds. Twelve million minutes, twenty-three years he had spent…devoted…wasted.

For ten.

A trade-off, is what it was. Twelve million minutes of life, for ten seconds. No doubt everyone on the planet, who was offered such a trade, would scoff at the ludicrousness of such a trade. Twenty-three years of life for ten seconds. There were, according to estimates, two hundred and fifty million people living on the planet, give or take a few hundred thousand. And for two hundred, forty-nine million nine hundred ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine people, the trade was laughable.

But, for one, one man, for one single man…the trade-off was worth more than even the planet itself.

"I'm warning you, sir, there's no real chance that Materia could even work," the scientist warned behind him. Cloud ignored him. The glowing green-blue Materia was old, older than he could have guessed. At one time its brilliance must have been magnificent, but centuries, maybe millennia, had tarnished its splendor. Cracks ran deep into its surface, it was stained beyond hope with dirt and ash.

"I am aware of that," Cloud muttered, brushing a strand of greying blonde hair out of his eyes. He had begun to grey about six, maybe seven years ago, which was a bit disheartening to start going in his thirties, but he had long lost any connection to his physical appearance during his twenty-three year quest. He knew he was more rugged than boyishly handsome now, but still good-looking enough. He still had his physique, which was needed for his explorations of course, and no doubt was helped by the Mako pumping through his veins.

Twenty-three years, scouring the planet for something, anything. The smallest, tiniest glimmer of hope. Then, nineteen years ago, he found it mentioned in an old scroll buried under a pile of dirt in Cosmo Canyon's deeper caverns. Lost to time, its text was near unreadable, but he translated it, figured it out. A Materia shard, with power over time. Power unmeasured, power never tapped into usage.

It had taken him another sixteen years to find it, using every resource available to him. He had kept in contact with Cid and Reeve for help getting around, although they never knew why. When he had time left over from exploring he would return to Edge and the Seventh Heaven to continue his research, and would sleep in his old office caked with dust since he left. Tifa ran the bar with Marlene and Denzel now – the two were engaged. Tifa had moved on from him, she said she was dating a guy. Cloud didn't fault her for it. Some people just moved on from their first loves…

"Well, we used everything we could to try and purify the shard's structure to increase its power, but even still…we can make no guarantees. If it fails, there's no telling what could happen."

"And the scrolls said the Materia's power would freeze your surroundings for ten seconds only. After that, assuming the Materia survives the journey back, it'll automatically warp you back here," the scientist's assistant chimed in.

"Cloud," Vincent muttered, causing Cloud to turn his head this way. Vincent, above everyone else who had somehow heard of Cloud's plan, knew the full extent of his desperation. To give the greatest sacrifice a person could, none but Vincent knew, and only because he had guessed it. But not only did Vincent know, Cloud knew he understood. And had their positions been reversed, Vincent may have taken a similar chance. But, maybe not. Vincent may have sunken into his past, but not into madness. Cloud knew he was borderline insane, but he'd have to be, to even consider doing this.

"You know what you're doing?" Vincent asked. Cloud looked at him, then swept his dulled blue eyes over the rest of the group. Tifa, Barret, Cid, Reeve, Rufus, Yuffie…oh they knew, of course. They knew where and when he was going. But none of them truly knew what he planned to do. Time hadn't healed Cloud's wound. Time had only let it spread, get infected, and consume him. Even if he didn't use the Materia, even if he threw it away now, there was no turning back for Cloud Strife. He had dived too deep into the metaphorical pool to surface safely now. He knew it. But he had no intention of trying.

"Vincent…for the first time in years…I know exactly what I'm doing," he whispered. Vincent narrowed crimson eyes, but nodded.

"Do I tell them?" Vincent asked. Tifa turned around at his words.

"Tell us what?" she asked.

"It's up to you," Cloud said, reaching over for the control panel to the door of the chamber.

"Wait, tell us what!" Tifa cried, running forward. "Clou-"

The steel door slams shut, cutting her off. Cloud clutched the Materia shard to his chest as the loudspeaker in the corner crackled on. The room had been built for the testing of new, unstable Materia that had been artificially refined. It suited his purposes enough.

"The containment fields are ready, but we're evacuating just in case, there's no telling how far the nexus will expand once you cast the spell. Remember, at best you'll only have ten seconds, you won't have much time, whatever you're planning to do."

"I have enough," Cloud said to himself. "I'm casting."

Closing his eyes, Cloud took the Materia shard between his hands and brought it to his face. Uttering a silent prayer more than a spell or command, he willed the Materia to work its power over him.

His hair fluttered, and Cloud opened his eyes and raised his head.

Blurs of light and images rushed past him. The room deconstructed itself around him, leaving him hovering in the air. The sun set, rose and set again, a million times over in the blink of an eye. Clouds and rain and snow swirled around him in weather patterns not possible. Finally, Cloud began to pick out images he recognized.

Tendrils of dark energy twisting around the ruins of Midgar…

An order for a delivery of flowers from Elmyra Gainsborough…

A gigantic meteor hanging in space just above the atmosphere…

A pair of bright green eyes leering at him from between concealing flaps of magnificent white wings, and one, twisted mass of dark red and purple feathers…

A gigantic cannon, luminescent green energy feeding into its barrel for one, powerful blast of Mako energy…

A young woman kneeling…

There. Cloud sent the command for the spell to stop, and gasped as the Materia shard shattered in his hand, raining down in crystalline pieces at his feet. The blur of images stopped. Cloud looked down at her as she raised her head. The strain of the spell on the Materia must have been too much. But no matter – one use was all he needed. Ten seconds…his heart pounded in his ears as he stepped forward, aware of the shadow hanging high over them, frozen in time, and knowing what was in his hands.

_Thump thump…thump thump…_

_Ten…_

"Is it cast?" Cloud whispered.

_Thump thump…thump thump…_

_Nine…_

"Yes…how did you know?" she replied.

_Thump thump…thump thump…_

_Eight…_

"It doesn't matter now."

_Thump thump…thump thump…_

_Seven…_

He stepped forward and knelt down on his knee.

"I have to say this, while I can."

_Thump thump…thump thump…_

_Six…_

"I love you…"

"What?"

_Thump thump…thump thump…_

_Five…_

"I don't care if you don't feel the same, but I feel it."

_Thump thump…thump thump…_

_Four…_

"Cloud…"

He cut her off with a quick kiss, stealing the gift from her he had had so many chances to take before, and had squandered every one of them.

_Thump thump…thump thump…_

_Three…_

"Promise me something," he demanded, pulling back. She nodded slightly.

"Anything."

_Thump thump…thump thump…_

_Two…_

"Be happy," he replied. She nodded again, and he smiled. She'd keep her word, he knows she will. She has the will, the strength, the heart he never did. He loved her, but she was too good for him, a wreck of a man even when they first met. She has the courage, the power to do what he never could…

She could live the life he couldn't…live without him, while he couldn't without her. And he, he would make the sacrifice, that she never should have made herself.

_Thump thump…thump thump_

_One…_

"Goodbye."

Seizing the last moment before the spell ended, he grabbed her hands and pulled her around, spinning himself to stand over her and pushing her towards the stairs of the altar.

A rush of air past his ears is the only sign that time returned to its normal flow, before long, gleaming steel sliced through his chest.

Her scream filled the air as his eyes clenched shut, the pain both freeing and agonizing. To be freed and damned in the same moment…he relished it. He collapsed onto his knees, turning his head to look up at the man in the dark cape standing behind him, annoyance, confusion and rage showing on his perfect features. He hadn't been the target, but the deed had been done. It was a small reward for his sacrifice, a small reward compared to what else he had won…

A second chance for her, even if he couldn't be there to help her enjoy it.

"Go!" he shouts, extending a hand. He pushed as best he could, sending her tumbling back down the steps and into the pool of water below. He lowered his head, the cries of his watching friends reaching him.

"Help her out!"

"We've got to help Cloud, we have to hurry!"

"Keep…keep her safe," he croaked out. It had been far too late for Cloud to come back the first time he had experienced this moment. His one consolation is that this time, he had done something to stop it. His arm grew weak, and Cloud collapsed onto his back, gasping as blood seeps onto the altar around him, staining his clothes. A shadow fell over him, and Cloud forced his vision to focus even though he knew who it was.

"You pathetic little puppet," the man in the dark cape sneered. "Was it worth it?" Cloud grinned wryly.

"You…have no idea," he chuckled. The man in the dark cape glared as Cloud let his eyes close, his shoulders shaking.

Twenty-three years. Eight thousand, three hundred ninety five days. Two hundred and one thousand, four hundred and eighty hours. Over twelve million minutes. Billions of seconds. Twelve million minutes, twenty-three years he had spent…devoted…wasted.

For ten.

For ten.

Cloud opened his mouth and laughed. In triumph…in despair…in madness…he wasn't even sure anymore. But he laughed all the same, even when the man in the dark cape vanished and his friends clustered over him. He kept laughing even as he opened his eyes for one last glimpse of bright emerald eyes, speaking the words he had said with his mouth minutes ago.

Cloud kept laughing, laughing as his eyes closed, laughing when he realized he couldn't see even when he opened them, laughing when he noticed he couldn't move…laughing, until he couldn't draw breath to do it anymore.


End file.
